Self defence turnabout
by WrightAnythingAgency
Summary: After being framed for a murder Phoenix Wright must defend himself and with the help or Miles Edgeworth discover who and how the murder was actually committed. Possible PWxME but nothing too serious.
1. Chapter 1

**Self defence turnabout**

Hey, start of a new story (Have actually got up to about chapter five handwritten during my free time at work but Professor Layton vs Ace Attorney came out in Britain just over a week ago so I've spent all my free time at home playing that which is why I'm so far behind typing this up) Also I want to add there is a bit of mention of tennis in this and I'm not a huge fan so if I get anything wrong about that then I apologise in advance.

"The court finds the defendant Trey Delacourt...not guilty."

Maya cheered on with the spectators in the gallery, prosecutor Payne looked thoroughly sick of his life as he faced yet another defeat to the bluff king defence attorney.

"Thanks Mr. Wright" Trey beamed "You should come down to my courts sometime" The tennis instructor joked.

"I'm not sure he's coordinated enough for that!" Maya added

'You can talk' he thought sourly. "I may well take you up on that." He told the coach in a 'I'll show you' manner to Maya.

Looking up at the gallery, he spotted a familiar figure, not hard to miss, he stood out a mile.

The figure nodded and made his way to the defence attorney. "Well played Wright, I thought Mr Payne was actually going to succeed for a moment back there."

"Edgeworth, well it's always darkest before the dawn eh?" Wright noticed that he often felt a little awkward when faced with his part time rival/full time friend Miles Edgeworth, but he never could work out why. The prosecutor smiled smugly "Once you've had those lessons, we shall have to have a match." he told Phoenix who wasn't surprised in the least that be would be into tennis.

"You're on Edgeworth!"

Maya sighed "Why is it always a competition with you two? Nick you know he's only offered because he knows he'll beat you, come on it's burger time! Mr Edgeworth you should come too!" The Prosecutor reluctantly agreed and stated. "If or rather when I beat you at tennis Wright, I expect us to go to somewhere a little more sophisticated than a burger joint to celebrate ." he smirked

"We'll see, who knows I could be a natural at it, maybe the next Andy Murray!"

With this Maya started laughing at the defence attorney and dragged him out of the courthouse by his sleeve.

The night had been reasonably event free, Phoenix couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched by the prosecutor, who seemed to look away when he was caught doing so. Phoenix found to his own surprise he didn't mind the attention.

At Mayas constant badgering (he surmised she wanted to see him get his arse kicked by Miles) he had agreed to go see Delacourt the next day.

Edgeworth usually was the first to leave, wanting to politely slip away at the earliest convenience. Tonight however had been an exception, even offering them a ride home so long as Maya cleaned the ketchup and mustard off her hands before she got in his red sports car.

The next day Maya was watching Saturday morning cartoons as Phoenix left for the tennis courts, he had no idea why he was so adamant about it except the fact that beating the smug Miles Edgeworth would be very satisfying.

Once at the site, he overheard a girl getting rather angry with Coach Delacourt. "I've trained my whole life for this! How can it be over?!"

"I'm sorry Angie but no matter how many times you ask, career ending injuries happen sometimes, after what the doctor said, there's no way you can continue without making your shoulder worse, I am truly sorry but it's for the best."

With that the door flew open and the girl barged past Phoenix and left.

Trey left his office looking rather dejected until he saw Wright. "I guess you heard that right?" he asked slightly embarrassed. "Angie Fairbanks was my star pupil but she injured her shoulder in a way that it would affect her game, I couldn't let her continue it'd make it worse. She's been coming in everyday this week asking me to coach her again, anyway you know much about the game?"

Phoenix shrugged "Only what I've learnt from Maya insisting we play Wii tennis."

The pair went to the courts and stopped by the tennis ball machine, after being explained the rules and the three mains swings forehand, backhand and over head, he instructed the defence attorney to switch the machine on and set it to slow to start with, "Usually you can set it from here but the remote control went AWOL yesterday, haven't managed to find it yet."

After a while he was getting more confident of returning the shots within the lines and during a brief pause was sure he caught someone clad in magenta on the other side of the fence, walking over in that direction, the figure disappeared. As he went back something caught his eye, glinting in the sunlight in the rubbish bin. "What's a trophy doing in here?" he asked.

Picking it up he found it was an award given to Angie Fairbanks for under 21's regional champion.

He'd seen the trophy cabinet on his way in and figured he would put it away on his way out.

A little while later aching all over, he headed home, putting the trophy away.

About an hour and a half after he left he received a knock on the door. "Detective Gumshoe? What's up?"

"You need to come to the station with me and answer some questions pal." The tall detective replied in a grave tone.

"What's this about?"

The detective rubbed the back of his head uneasily. "Maybe it would be better if we spoke about this at the station."

Still nonplussed Phoenix followed Gumshoe to his beat up old car parked outside the block of flats.

Back at the station Gumshoe ushered the defence attorney into one of the interview rooms.

"What's going on detective?" Phoenix asked again patience wearing thin.

"Phoenix Wright, you are being charged with the murder of Trey Delacourt."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"What?! Treys died, how? And how am I the suspect?" Phoenix cried incredulously.

"You were at the courts around the time of the murder, we have a witness and your prints were found on the murder weapon." The attorneys head was swimming,

"But I didn't know he had died, I'm innocent!"

"Sorry Pal, but the evidence says otherwise, before we say anymore you'll need a lawyer."

After a brief pause Phoenix replied "I'll defend myself, I have the right to." He told Gumshoe resolutely.

Gumshoe left the interview room for a moment to speak to his superiors.

Once he returned he announced the decision. "The chief and the prosecutor for this case have no problems with this. You will be granted leave to visit the crime scene and investigate under my supervision, no funny business pal you hear? Any escape/attempt to evade me and it will be bad for both of us." Voice was stern but eyes were pleading.

Phoenix nodded. "Who is the Prosecutor?"

"No idea yet, the chief spoke to them. In the meantime you have to go to the detention centre."

By the time he had got there he had a visitor.

"Nick! What's going on?"

"I've no idea Maya; they've charged me with Treys murder!" Mayas eyes widened and she held a hand to her face. "You didn't!"

"Of course I didn't! Looks like I've been set up!" he confided in her.

"I know! I'll help! I'll represent you!"

He tried not to look to aghast at the suggestion. ! It's fine Maya I'm going to represent myself besides you haven't passed any exams to do so. There is something I need you to do though."

Her face lit up. "What can I do to help?"

"I need you to go to the flat and grab me a suit, make sure the badge is pinned on ok? I can't go into court in sports gear."

Underwhelmed by the request as she was, she was about to head off as he said "Also go to the tennis courts, see if you can find out who the prosecutor is for this case."

She nodded and went on her way and Phoenix was led to the cells.

It was early evening when he had received another visitation.

This time it was the cases prosecutor.

"Wright" Edgeworth nodded in his customary greeting. Looking at Phoenix's attire he remarked "Casual Saturday is it?"

"Edgeworth, you're prosecuting this case?"

"Indeed, in fact, I requested it from the chief prosecutor." He explained poker faced.

"But why?" The attorney asked nonplussed.

"You haven't made many friends in the prosecutors' offices, in fact Mr Payne was most inconsolable when I had taken this case, with all the defeats they've suffered, and I requested the case to give you a chance of a fair trial."

"I…I…" Phoenix was unsure as to what to say.

"You're welcome." Edgeworth smirked. "Eloquent as ever I see. You and I understand the truth about the court system, who wins matters not as long as the truth is revealed and as I don't believe you did this, but the evidence certainly points that way. We'll uncover the true culprit."

Phoenix hadn't expected this response; he'd half expected the prosecutor to take the case as a rival rather than a friend.

"Thank you Edgeworth, there may be evidence but I have no motive, I didn't do this."

"You know I can't act too favourably in court although I'm sure you can bluff your way out of trouble."

Phoenix put on a look of mock indignation "Hey bluff or not, I get the right decision eventually!" trying to keep things light despite the seriousness of the situation.

Edgeworth opened a file and began his questioning. "So you were at the scene of the crime today?"

"Yes I was at the tennis courts today, as you know Maya wouldn't drop the subject until I booked a lesson but I wasn't there when Trey was killed."

"What time did you leave?"

"Erm about 2pm I think" he replied. "I got there about 12, in fact not long before I left I'm sure I saw a certain prosecutor nearby, either that or someone going to a costume party as Austin Powers."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow but decided not to take the bait. "Indeed that was me and Andy Murray you are not." He replied "I was merely checking out the competition."

"Checking me out eh?" Phoenix smiled.

Edgeworth flushed a little but continued. "You know full well what I meant Wright, now, if you are innocent, can you explain why your fingerprints are on the murder weapon?" he slid over a photo of the trophy Phoenix had found in the rubbish earlier. "That's what killed him? Well after I saw you, I found that in the rubbish bin and thought whoever did it might regret it, so as I left I put it back in the cabinet."

"Can anyone corroborate this?"

"I guess not, I didn't see anyone at the time, I think Trey was in his office." He admitted, as bad as this made him look, from testimony he'd seen in court, he knew honesty would be the best policy.

"If it was not you who perpetrated this, have you any thoughts on who did or did you see anyone else there today?"

"Trey taught a class at 1pm I think but they left before I did the only other person I saw was a girl called Angie Fairbanks, she was angry at Trey but left just as I got there."

"The girl whose name was on the trophy?" Edgeworth appeared to make some notes.

"Well I think that's all for now Wright, I believe Gumshoe will be permitting you to investigate tomorrow before Mondays trial, oh and I do hope you don't show up at court like that, your usual apparel is bad enough."

"As much as I'd rather not like to take fashion advice from the international man of mystery, Maya will be bringing my 'usual apparel' as you put it." He retorted. "See you Monday" he ended a little more seriously.

Edgeworth nodded and left, Wright was led back to the cells.

Phoenix had not gotten a lot of sleep that night; despite the bravado in front of Edgeworth he was worried.

Trey was a good man and didn't deserve what had happened to him and as much as Phoenix knew he was innocent, he was so far unable to prove it.

At 10am Gumshoe arrived to take Phoenix to the crime scene. He had been puzzled as to why Maya hadn't turned up the night before, Edgeworth wasn't at the tennis courts and it didn't take that long to grab a suit and bring it to the detention centre.

The answer to the Fey mystery was discovered when he had got to the detectives car, in the back seat was Maya. "Hi Nick, Gumshoes letting me come along to the investigation!" she beamed.

Phoenix forced a smile "Well I guess it can't hurt."

She noticed the dejected tone. "Nick if you didn't do this then we will find something to prove it." She assured him.

He nodded as he got in the car and fought with the seatbelt in cuffs. "Is this really necessary?" he asked indicating toward the handcuffs. "Sorry pal, chiefs orders, that's why Mayas here to bag evidence." The detective replied apologetically.

"Oh yeah I brought the suit too." Maya added having just remembered.

Not long later they arrived at the crime scene. A photo of the scene as the police had found it was given to Phoenix along with the preliminary autopsy results.

"It was mentioned that there was a witness, but there wasn't anyone around when I was here, who was it?"

"Sorry, I'm not at liberty to divulge that"

He frowned and looked at the autopsy. "Blunt force trauma to the back of the head" he read aloud. "Was it proven the trophy was the weapon?" he asked.

"We won't know for certain until the full autopsy has been done but it had the victim's blood on it and your prints and it was found quite near the body."

Phoenix instructed Maya that as well as looking for clues, they were to look for anything else that might have been used as a murder weapon.

As time passed Phoenix's situation was looking more and more dire. He had noticed something out of place. "The tennis ball machine, it's been moved. You can see the pressure marks where it was, I don't recall seeing them yesterday when I was here, it must have been moved after I left i.e., the time of the murder, detective, can you get someone to go over this for prints? It might show that someone else was here."

"Sure pal but I don't know what good it will do; I mean they already have the murder weapon."

Try as they might there wasn't much else to investigate, no other evidence was found.

Edgeworth was going to have a far easier time than he in court the next day.

On the ride back Phoenix had his head in his hands, so far there was nothing to exonerate him, and he'd have to rely on the witness being contradictive.

As he was about to get out Maya was unusually sensitive and put a hand on his shoulder, "It'll be ok Nick, we'll still find out who did this." She told him "Want me to assist tomorrow?"

Phoenix smiled appreciatively "Yeah, I'd like that."

All he could do now was wait for the trial to begin.

9.50 – Defendant lobby No.3

"Hi Nick, are you alright?" Maya asked in her usual bouncy tone.

"I'd feel better if I had some ammo; I wonder who the witness is? I have a hunch but whoever it is must have something to do with the murder if they testify that they saw me commit the crime."

"Who is that?" She enquired.

"The only person that I can think of who has a motive for this." He replied darkly.

The bailiff walked into the defendant lobby. "Trials about to begin Mr Wright." He informed them.


End file.
